Carrier-backed decorative material having a protective coating



July 27, 1954 C. D. OUGHTON CARRIER-BACKED DECORATIVE MATERIAL HAVING A PROTECTIVE COATING Filed Oct. 20, 1949 INVENTOR. Charles D. Oughfon Patented July 27, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GARR-IER-BACKED DECORATIVE MATERIAL HAVING A PROTECTIVE COATING Pennsylvania Application October 20, 1949, Serial No. 122,395

1 Claim. 1

This invention pertains to a carrier-backed decorating material, and more particularly to a carrier-backed decorating material having incorporated therewith a protective coating for the decorative film.

It was originally the practice to decorate flat surfaces or the edges of book sheets, playing cards, or the like, with a thin, metallic leaf, such as gold, silver, or the like, by first cleaning and otherwise preparing the surface, applying an adhesive thereto, and then applying the unsupported leaf to the adhesively treated surface. If desired, pressure or heat and pressure were used. This is a tedious, time-consuming and costly job and requires specially trained and skilled workmen. Such practice is still followed in the decorating of the edges of book sheets and cards in particular, and to a great extent in decorating and/or embossing other items. Unsuccessful attempts have been made to facilitate the application of such decorative metal foil to the edges of book sheets, playing cards, or the like, by providing a carrier-backing strip to which the foil is held by a release material, the carrier-backed foil being applied to a continuously adhesively treated surface and fixed thereto by pressur or heat and pressure, and the carrier-backing then stripped or peeled from the foil leaving that surface of the foil adjacent the carrier-backing exposed. In some instances the adhesive is applied to the foil prior to applying the carrierbacked foil to the surface.

When gold is the decorative material the edges of the playing cards or books will generally not tarnish or otherwise discolor due to corrosion. However, in many instances, the decorative material is a corrodible material, such as brass, bronze, silver, or any combination thereof. When such a material is exposed to the atmosphere it will corrode and the shiny surface, which is pleasing to the eye, will become dull and unappealing.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that in addition to the fact that the decoration of either flat surfaces, the edges of playing cards, or book sheets with a metallic foil has been an expensive and time-consuming procedure, even when a carrier-backed decorative foil has been used, such decorative material when in the form of a corrodible metal, will in time discolor and become unappealing to the owner or to a wouldbe purchaser of such books, playing cards, or the like.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide a material for decorating the edges of book sheets, playing cards, or the like, and other surfaces, in a relatively simple and substantially inexpensive manner such as to eliminate the expensive and time-consuming operations heretofore necessary, and to provide a decorative material which will be protected from corrosion.

It is another object of this invention to provide a carrier-backed decorative foil having a protective coating incorporated therewith adaptable to decoration of the edges of book sheets, playing cards, or the like.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a material for decorating the edges of book sheets, playing cards, or the like, which is simple to use, inexpensive, which will permit the decoration of at least one entire side edge of a group of book sheets, playing cards, or the like, assembled en masse, all in one operation, and which will provide a protective coating for the film of decorative material when that material has been applied to the edges of book sheets, playing cards, or the like.

Various other objects and advantageous features of the invention may be had from the following description when used in conjunction with the following drawing, which is a fragmentary, perspective view showing a carrier-backed decorative strip, the individual parts thereof being exaggerated in size for purposes of clarity.

In accordance with this invention, a carrierbacking 10 of suitable material, such as plastic, or the like, has applied thereto a film or coating of the release material II. This film of release material may be applied in a variety of ways, vacuum evaporation being a very satisfactory method. The only requirements for the backing strip are that it be flexible, have a smooth surface, and be substantially non-elastic. Alkaline halide salts such as potassium bromide (KBr), or potassium iodide (KI), and waxes are good release materials. Having had a film or coating of release material ll applied to said carrier, a film or coating of a protective material [2 is then applied to the release material. Examples of protective coatings are quartz, magnesium fluoride, and similar substances. It is to be understood that there are many types of substances having properties similar to those specified that would function as protective coatings. This protective coating may also be applied by vacuum evaporation. Certain materials, which will form a protective coating, may be put on by knife doctor blading, roller coating, hand brushing, air doctor blading, or by a wick method. Thereafter, a film or coating of decorative material 13, such as gold, silver, aluminum, brass, or bronze is then applied to the protective coating. This may also be applied by vacuum evaporation. Since the purpose of the protective coating is to make the decorative material remain pleasing to the eye, it is generally not necessary to incorporate a protective coating in the carrier-backed decorative material when the film of decorative material is a non-corrodible substancesuch as gold. However, the protective material coating may be used even when a substance suchas gold comprises the film of decorative material.

Thereafter, an adhesive M-is applied to the decorative material. Thisadhesive may be a heat activated type of adhesive 01' itmay be an adhesive activated by liquid media, such as sodium silicate, animal glues, and starch base adhesives.

In using this novel carrier-backed decorative film, the carrier-backed decorative strip, having the adhesive incorporated therewith, is merely placed with the adhesive side down on a prepared surface, such as a flat leather surface, or the smooth surface formed by the edges of playing cards or book leaves assembled in side-by-side relation. .In the case of a liquid media activated adhesive, the surface formed by the sheet edges or the adhesive surface of the carrier-backed strip is moistened. Then the carrier-backed decorative strip is placed on the prepared surface. Thereafter, pressure may be applied to the carrier side of the carrier-backed decorative material and the carrier is then removed, after the adhesive has been given an opportunity to dry, leaving the protected decorative foil firmly adhered to the surface. In the case of a heatactivated adhesive, after the carrier-backed decorative strip has been placed on the prepared surface, heat or heat and pressure are applied to the carrier side of the carrier-backed decorative material and the carrier is then removed, also leaving the protected decorative foil firmly adhered to the prepared surface. In the case of playing cards or book leaves, the leaves or cards may then be rifiled and-separated and when they are realigned will present a protected, continuously decorated surface.

The primary requisites-for a protective coating are that its adherenceto the film of decorative material be stronger than its adherence to the release material, so that when the carrier is stripped away, the protective coating will remain attached to the decorative film, and that the protective coating be not rubbery or elastic. The second requirement is essential in the case of bookpage edges or card edges. In this latter case, the protective coating must be of such a nature that, While fixably attached to the decorative film, it will fracture or separate along lines of strain.

For example, when the leaves of the book or individual cards are separated th decorative film and the protective coating should also separate so that the edges of the book sheet or cards will be decorated in such a manner as to present a protected, continuously decorated surface when the book sheet or card edges are realigned in side-by-side relation.

It should be apparent from the above description that there has been devised a novel and extrcmely useful carrier-backed decorative strip having incorporated therewith a decorative film protective coating. The use of such a combination results in revolutionary savings in time and labor in the edge-gliding of playing cards, books and the embossing of surfaces such as leather, or the like, and enables the protected decorative material to remain pleasing to the eye of the purchaser or the prospective purchaser.

While this inventionhas been described in its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the words'that have been used are words of description rather than of limitation and that changes within the purview of the appended claim may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a hacked decorative material comprising a carrier in the form of a backing strip, a release material on said carrier, a film of decorative corrodible metal, and an activatable solid adhesive on. said film: a transparent quartz protective coating, capable of preventing corrosion of said decorative metal, on said release material, in intimate contact with said film, and having greater adherence to saidfilm than to said release material; said adhesive in the activated condition providing adherence of said film to a prepare surface greater than the adherence of said protective coating to said release material.

. References @ited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,331,581 Rosenfeld Feb. 24, 1920 1,331,667 Palm, Jr. Feb. 24, 1920 1,822,593 Eentschel Oct. 11, 1932 2,017,367 Kurz Oct. 15, 1935 2,044,922 Swift et a1 June 23, 1936 2,099,641 Bach et al. Nov. 16, 1937 2,175,492 Swift Oct. 10, 1939 2,216,289 Asnes Oct. 1, 1940 2,354,073 Swift July 18, 1944 2,365,687 Osterberg Jan. 2, 1945 2,432,538 Ogle et al Dec. 16, 1917 2,456,899 Strong Dec. 21, 1948 2,479,540 Osterberg Aug. 16, 1949 2,542,288 Pickens Feb. 20, 1951 

